Winter the Dolphin

Winter the Dolphin

Winter the Dolphin

Winter’s Survival Story

Winter was found stranded in Mosquito Lagoon, near Cape Canaveral, Florida when she was only twomonths old, entangled in a crab trap line which cut off circulation to her tail flukes. After disentanglement, she was transported to Clearwater Marine Aquarium for treatment of her extensive injuries. However, despite exhaustive efforts to promote healing, her tail deteriorated and could not be saved. Her story is unusual – most dolphins trapped in monofilament and crab trap lines do not survive. Despite overwhelming odds against survival, Winter’s energy and ability to adapt to her new physical form surpassed expectations. She recovered completely, adapted to a new swim pattern and learned to eat fish on her own… about 12 pounds a day!

Lasting Lesson to Protect Marine Life

Winter’s case was one of the most difficult for CMA. Her story is a bittersweet realization of the dangers faced by animals as a result of human activities in the wild, such as fishery interactions. Through these types of interactions, dolphins and other marine life often become susceptible to entanglement and digestion of fishing line or other gear that can cause them to become injured, ill or potentially lead to their death. In order to mitigate these impacts and conserve these species, it is critical for us to do our part and keep our oceans clean and recycle and promote laws and regulations that improve upon fishing practices. Together, we can make a difference!

Winter's Tail Technology

Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics, Inc., together with Dr. Mike Walsh, CMA’s marine mammal veterinarian of record, and our world-class marine mammal trainers, created a unique plan to attach a prosthetic tail to Winter.

Winter is missing her entire tail fluke and joint. Tail flukes are the powerhouse of the dolphin and are attached to the peduncle, the muscular part of the dolphin. To swim naturally, a dolphin moves the peduncle up and down and the tail flukes propel the dolphin forward.

Attaching a prosthetic tail with a complete fluke and joint onto a dolphin had never been done before. Over the course of several months, Winter learned the correct body position to be fitted for a stretchy, plastic sleeve, very like those used in human prosthetics.

When the sleeve is in place, we can put the prosthetic on top of it and attach the fluke to her peduncle.

Once the prosthetic is in place, we check to ensure a snug and comfortable fit. We then ask Winter to swim around the pool and re-check the fit of the tail before we start any workout.

Without her prosthetic, Winter compensates for the absence of flukes by utilizing her entire body to propel herself forward, moving side to side like a shark. The prosthetic is a cue or “discriminative stimulus,” encouraging her to swim in a normal up-and-down fashion, working all muscles that surround the peduncle while still maintaining her ability to swim comfortably when the prosthetic is off.

Winter’s tail is constantly being researched and modified, which in turn continually teaches us about adapting prostheses to new and different challenges.

Rescue teams from Harbor Branch Institute and Hubbs-Seaworld Research Institute worked with Clearwater Marine Aquarium to save Winter and bring her to CMA. They also rescued CMA’s newest dolphin resident, Hope.

While no one knows her true date of birth, the team at CMA estimated her birthday to be October 10, 2005, as she was only two months old when she was rescued. When filming the movie in 2010, she was only five, making her the youngest movie star on set!

Winter enjoys the attention she gets from all the guests that come to visit her, as heard through her characteristic “tweety-bird” whistle! However, at times she will choose to rest in various locations of the pool, including underwater, or in a portion of the habitat where she is less visible. It is our goal to afford Winter, and all of our animals, an opportunity to make these choices as they see fit!

The limelight suited her well. The big cameras and lights were a change for her, but her trainers worked for a long time before the movie crew arrived to get her used to all that new equipment. Once filming began, Winter had a great time.

You can visit Winter every day at Clearwater Marine Aquarium for a great opportunity to learn more about her and her story. Following Winter on Facebook or signing up for our newsletter are other great ways to get the latest updates on her progress. You can also watch her online via her live webcam.

Dolphin Tale was produced by Warner Brothers and Alcon Entertainment and released nationwide in theaters around the world on September 23, 2011. Winter played herself in Dolphin Tale, together with Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Harry Connick, Jr., Kris Kristofferson, Cozi Zuehlsdorff and Nathan Gamble. CMA was closed to the public for three months while filming was underway; however, CMA remained a 24-hour working animal hospital during this time.Read more about the Dolphin Tale movies.

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OUR MISSION: We believe in preserving our environment while inspiring the human spirit through leadership in the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of marine life; environmental education; research; and conservation. We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

OUR MISSION: We believe in preserving our environment while inspiring the human spirit through leadership in the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of marine life; environmental education; research; and conservation. We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.